The Patriots doubled up on the interior pass rusher this offseason by bringing in former Raider Tommy Kelly and CFL and USC standout Armond Armstead. Neither player is Haynesworth, but they aren’t without their flaws.
Kelly has been known to show a lack of motor at times, but that could also be due to overuse in Oakland. Armstead had heart problems at USC, which forced him to sit out his senior season and go undrafted in 2012. He stood out in the CFL, though, and said his health problems are behind him.
Either Kelly or Armstead should be able to play on first, second and third down as they have strengths against the run and pass. Kelly showed the aptitude to get after the passer in his eight years in Oakland, and Armstead was given a second- or third-round grade as a junior at USC for his interior rush skills.
Neither player, nor the inclusion of Jamie Collins, Michael Buchanan or John Abraham – if he ever signs — will improve the Patriots’ pass rush on its own. But Kelly and Armstead are a step in the right direction for a team that has seemed to be more interested in stopping the run than defending the pass in recent years (see: Deaderick starting at defensive end in 2011 and three 250-plus-pound linebackers).
Kelly certainly won’t turn into Geno Atkins just by playing next to Wilfork, and anyone who thinks Armstead has that upside is more optimistic than Rex Ryan in an August news conference. But it may mean than playing the best 11 players on the field doesn’t include 255-pound defensive tackles this season.
